


Embers in my soul

by themunak



Series: Fire of Our Hearts [1]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Daemons, Ensemble Cast, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-09
Updated: 2015-02-01
Packaged: 2018-02-28 18:55:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2743484
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themunak/pseuds/themunak
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The sudden settling of his friends' souls at roughly the same time was jarring, to say the least, especially when not even a week before Tsuna's arrival into the future, only Hibari's cat and Mukuro's fox had been the unchanging rei out of his friends. Everyone had been forced to grow up too quickly, too soon because of their circumstances, and Tsuna couldn't help but feel that they'd been robbed of something important: their childhoods.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I wanted to write a daemon AU. Plus, every fandom needs at least one daemon fic.

Yamamoto's rei settled after the Ring battle with Squalo. Nobody noticed it at first because she wasn't the type to change forms all that often, the timing of her shifting matching her human's easy-going nature, and because Reborn's disappearance had been on the forefront of Tsuna's mind. It was only days (and almost ten years) later that they realize this fact, when Tsuna and Gokudera spotted the older Yamamoto with Tomomi using the same form she'd taken immediately after the battle. A large spotted cat with amazing facial lines that Tsuna itched to trace, the most vivid blue eyes he's ever seen, and a body that was clearly meant for speed, even if she took slow, careful steps that mirrored Yamamoto's.

A cheetah, he'd told them later after showing them their room.

Tsuna's suspicions had been confirmed when _his_ Yamamoto arrived with his own Tomomi, who was most definitely a cheetah, and the very same one that the older Tomomi was.

(They should have all realized that from that time onwards, Yamamoto had stopped thinking of the mafia game as a _game_ , no matter how much he called it one-- the form of his rei was proof enough of that.)

Next had been Gokudera. Tsuna hadn't realized it until a little later-- which is a testament to just how distracted and utterly _terrified_ he'd been at the time-- that Gokudera's rei had stopped changing forms as well after the disastrous mission where the older Hibari and his rei had to bring them back to the underground base. When they'd parted ways, Akane had been a mongoose, clinging to Gokudera's sleeve as they ran. When Tsuna caught up with Hibari over Gokudera and Yamamoto's injured bodies, Akane was a large wild dog draped protectively over her human's body, as red as a fox, but with legs from here to there and a black mane on her back.

Akane had become a maned wolf according to Gokudera's research, and Tsuna's thought at the time was that there could not be a more appropriate rei for his friend.

(But Tsuna realized, as he went through his memories of the day, that she was not the same as the Akane of the ten-years-older Gokudera-- whatever she'd been, she wasn't a wolf, or even remotely dog-like in appearance. She'd been stout, with huge leg muscles and giant claws that made up for her lack of height, black-furred with a white back. A quick search through the internet had revealed her to be a honey badger, and Tsuna had to wonder-- why would someone's rei settle as something different from their older self's soul?)

Ryohei went next, almost immediately after managing to open his Vongola Box and controlling all the abilities within it. _That_ had been an adventure and a half, Kyoko's big brother running up and down the hallways yelling "EXTREEEEEME", a big furry goat with intimidating horns _prancing_ right beside him (an Alpine ibex apparently) and the kangaroo Box weapon right behind both of them. Tsuna had thanked all the kami that his older self had the good idea of making all the doors and hallways in the base extra wide. He also spared a thought to wonder how in the world Yayoi would fit into the Sasagawa house now, but decided he probably didn't want to know.

(This Yayoi, too, was different from the older Yayoi. She'd been some kind of colorful tropical bird, not an ibex, and again Tsuna had to wonder what was going on, and what exactly someone's settled form just meant if the same person from two different points in time could have different ones.)

Kyoko and Haru, true to their form as extremely close friends, settled at the exact same time-- specifically, after Tsuna told them about the mafia, but their rei couldn't be more different. Kyoko's Noriaki became an otter and stayed an otter, a really familiar animal that even Tsuna could recognize, while Haru's Tadao became a bluebird. Bianchi and Ryohei couldn't have been any more proud of them for taking one more step towards maturity, but Tsuna had begun too feel… uncomfortable.

The sudden settling of his friends' souls at roughly the same time was jarring, to say the least, especially when not even a week before Tsuna's arrival into the future, only Hibari's cat and Mukuro's fox had been the unchanging rei out of his friends. Everyone had been forced to grow up too quickly, too soon because of their circumstances, and Tsuna couldn't help but feel that they'd been robbed of something important: their childhoods.

But at the same time, Tsuna felt something else-- loneliness. He was being left behind, his friends becoming adults before his eyes, as evidenced by the permanent forms of their souls. And it hurt, because what if they began to look elsewhere, for someone with a settled rei, someone that wasn't Tsuna?

Chrome was the only other person (save for Lambo and I-Pin, but they didn't count since they were still _children_ ) who had a still-changing rei, Mizuki refusing to stay in one form for too long just like mist. He began looking out for her a little more during the preparations for Choice, in case she too started feeling left out.

She probably had an idea why he was doing so, but because she never asked, he never offered any answer. 

(But they did move much closer together-- closer to _all_ of them-- when they saw Byakuran face-to-face for the first time and realized that _none_ of the Funeral Wreaths had rei. Even Yuni had lost hers because of whatever Byakuran had done to her, and it had sent Reborn into a rage Tsuna had never seen before. It was horrifying, how they even managed to live alone, and Tsuna felt it must have indeed been better for them, _all of them_ to pass on rather than continue living without the other halves of their souls.)

During their first day back at school after their return to their proper time, all the settled rei predictably caused a stir among their classmates. After all, who has settled rei at _fourteen?_ Most people didn't settle until high school, yet they were only in their second year of middle school. Yamamoto took all the questions in stride, laughing while Tomomi lounged under his table, while Akane bared her teeth at anyone who dared move closer to Gokudera. Kurokawa Hana and her own rei had been shocked at Noriaki's permanence too, but held their silence in respect for their friends.

Even if Tsuna and Shizuka hadn't gotten their own permanent form yet, Tsuna still squirmed in sympathy for his friends, because all eyes were on them.

The Simons' arrival helped a bit, and Tsuna felt a kinship to Enma because Kazumi still shifted around, usually to reflect her human's mood-- until she, too, settled, and during their decisive battle with Daemon Spade.

She was beautiful, she really was. Kazumi wasn't _big_ like their other friends' rei, nor was she the most colorful he's ever seen (Tadao still had that distinction), but she was still a class of her own. She was some kind of owl with ear tufts, a white face, feathers that ranged from light grey to almost black, and her human's eyes. She was almost twice Tadao's size but small enough that she could sit comfortably in the palm of Enma's hand-- which wasn't all that big to begin with.

Of course, not even a settled soul staves off the bullies, but when they came around to harass Enma in full view of the class before the lesson started because of how tiny his permanent rei is, Kazumi scratched one of the offending rei across the face with her talons. To add insult to injury, she went on to tell them to stop being annoying, which made Enma turn red in embarrassment at how outspoken she was (and she's always been more outspoken than her human, just like Shizuka). The bullies turned red too, but for an entirely different reason.

The settling of their boss' rei was cause for celebration in the Simon family, especially when he was the last one to do so, and they invited Tsuna and his own friends to join them at their house for the party. Tsuna felt quite out of place with all the settled rei, but Shizuka didn't share that particular emotion and turned into another owl so she could bump shoulders with Kasumi, who was happily chatting away with Mizuki who currently in the form of a black cat.

And then even _Chrome_ settled, her actions on the third night of representative battles, her decision to fight with her own power no doubt being the reason why Mizuki finally stopped shifting forms so quickly and violently. The moment Chrome filled herself with her own illusionary organs, Mizuki turned into a thin, reddish-yellow-purple snake with strange scales that stuck straight up. He curled around Chrome's arm, the one with the battler watch, and never changed form again. He was a counterpoint to Satsuki, who curled around Mukuro's shoulders like she'd always been there. Both of them were colorful and beautiful even when their humans cast illusions that were dark, dangerous and grotesque.

In the span of several months, not even enough to be called a year, his friends have become that much closer to being adults. And Shizuka doesn't seem like she's about to settle any time soon.

She says as much when Tsuna asks her about it one day, if she'll ever settle and show off to the world that they're adults too. That the Tsuna-Shizuka pair isn't as dame as every thinks they are.

"I'll settle when I settle. What's the big rush?"

There's no more denying that he is indeed jealous of all of them. It's too bad his rei doesn't share the same thoughts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Relatively short and kinda boring chapter because it's just setting things up and introducing the daemons. However, there are things of note:
> 
> "Rei": As in "reikon", one of the many words that mean soul or spirit. It's used a substitute for "daemon" because 1) cultural differences, and 2) Daemon Spade.
> 
> List of characters & daemons/rei:
> 
> Tsuna: Shizuka, unsettled  
> Gokudera: Akane, [maned wolf](http://wildliferesearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Maned-wolf.jpg)  
> Yamamoto: Tomomi, [cheetah](http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs50/f/2009/316/a/5/a5e0bb82c0efae42ddefd04b25a17878.jpg)  
> Hibari: Noriko, [alley cat](https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/cd/ef/39/cdef39a40304e0d6abbdcb85075fea33.jpg)/domestic (HAHAHA... "domestic" yeah no) shorthair cat  
> Mukuro: "Satsuki" (real name unknown), [red fox](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MmmAhzKzmMg/UOP-tN2nTeI/AAAAAAAAAJs/muk_9xLDIhk/s1600/Red+Fox.jpg)  
> Chrome: "Mizuki" (real name unknown), [spiny bush viper](http://i.imgur.com/A5JncsS.jpg)  
> Ryohei: Yayoi, [Alpine ibex](http://www.savoie-mont-blanc.com/var/smb/storage/images/media/images/visites-et-decouvertes/nature/femelle-de-bouquetin-des-alpes/46575-1-fre-FR/Female-Alpine-Ibex.jpg)  
> Kyoko: Noriaki, [otter](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zj0rLPbVo_M/UKxdTssdFII/AAAAAAAAAAA/ODyngPtmSvg/s1600/Zoo_River%2BOtter.JPG)  
> Haru: Tadao, [bluebird](http://littlebuffalodotcom.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/4843256103_bc07300364_b.jpg)  
> Lambo: Ferrum, unsettled  
> I-Pin: Weixing, unsettled  
> Enma: Kazumi, [northern white-faced owl](https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3810/10845596694_5e765fc828.jpg)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I said I was going to finish writing this before posting it in one go-- that's not going to happen. Somehow this fic is turning into a monster, as is the rest of this damned series. I've even got two more fics all planned out and ready to be written, not counting the Arcobaleno one. I'm still writing this fic, and will be posting each chapter whenever I get them done.
> 
> Let me tell you: Daemon fics are fun as hell to write, but murder to plan for, especially when you have to think up of daemon names and forms for so many characters.
> 
> ETA: Edited to add in the last few paragraphs, since I feel they're better used as an ending to this chapter rather than the opener of the next one.
> 
> 11/22/2015: To clarify-- this chapter happens a year after the first one. As the first chapter is set from the Millefiore arc to the end of canon, this fic (and series as a whole) is post-canon.

Of all the days for Gokudera and Yamamoto to not pick him up from his house and walk him to school, it's the day someone ambushes him. Or maybe it's precisely because he arrives at school alone that it happens.

Tsuna eyes the bully with the alley cat rei before him and he just has to… sigh, actually. It's _something_ when you're no longer scared of a bully just because of what their rei looks like, whether temporarily or permanently-- because after well over a year of being heir of the Vongola famiglia (and while he's slowly realizing that he's been calling himself the boss for a while, he's still a little hesitant because the mafia is scary. sometimes cool, but _scary_ ), Tsuna's seen _worse_.

The mafia attracts all sorts of crazies. _All sorts_. And it's sometimes reflected in their rei-- or daemons, as they apparently call it in some countries, including Italy, but Tsuna would rather not use that term. It brings to mind Daemon Spade, and… Tsuna's had far too many nightmares about that man. Yes, the entire situation with him has been resolved, but the less said about his encounters with Daemon, the better for his peace of mind.

But back onto the subject of bullies and their rei. When your friends have settled souls in the form of a big cat that can run faster than a car, a long-legged wild dog that looks like a cross between a fox and a wolf, a fuzzy goat with wicked-looking horns and a body that can scale mountains, a tiny but really sassy owl with gigantic talons, and a _snake_ , some animal forms just don't scare him anymore. Heck, Hibari also has a cat for a rei, but she can pull off the 'feral' look far better with her constantly narrowed eyes, and weird tail that looks like it used to be longer but then got shortened in a way that involved some sloppy but violent chopping action-- and act the way too, even if she prefers leaving the posturing to her human.

Seriously, he's seen Noriko claw other peoples' rei to oblivion. It's awe-inspiring. … As long as Shizuka's not the one getting clawed, because even if it's happening to his rei and not him directly, he still feels it, and _it hurts_.

The bully looks like he's going to grab Tsuna by the ankles and shake him upside down to see if cash falls out of his pockets (seriously, they're all already in third year of middle school and people are still doing that like their parents don't give them lunch money, or simply just _lunch_ ) when Chrome passes by, Mizuki draped around her neck like jewelry. He brings out some color on her, because the school uniform has plain colors, and Chrome is almost lily-white, like those pretty models in cosmetics commercials and posters.

"Good morning, Boss. Good morning, Boss-Rei," says Chrome, and while Mizuki doesn't speak, he waves his tail at them in greeting. But then he turns his head around to stare at the bully, who shrinks back just a little bit, and Tsuna doesn't blame him.

Mizuki may be a really, _really_ pretty rei, possibly the prettiest and most colorful he's ever seen (and that's saying something, since Kyoko's and Haru's rei are beautiful, and Gokudera's is simply vibrant in an intimidating-but-gorgeous kind of way), but he's a bush viper. That tends to say something about his human.

Mizuki sticks out his forked tongue the way a real snake tastes the air, and the bully legs it out of there like he's on fire, yelling something about snake poison, alley cat rei latched onto his back and yowling loudly.

"Shouldn't we tell him that Mizuki doesn't actually _have_ venom because he's not a real snake?" Tsuna asks Chrome.

To his surprise, she shakes her head and smiles at him. "They were bothering you, so I think it's better if no one else knows."

When had she gotten so scary? Mukuro's corrupted her, surely. Or maybe even Hibari-- she and Hibari have been meeting often ever since Hibari heard about her illusion combination against the Vindice because he always wants to see how "sharp her teeth are" and "sharpen his own on her". … Which is kind of creepy out of context and Tsuna doesn't want to go down that road because his brain might not be able to take it.

Shizuka turns into a mongoose (he remembers _that one_ , and he thinks he's slowly becoming an animal expert thanks to his friends' varied and strange-looking souls, because a good deal of them aren't even animals that are native to Japan) to tug on a lock of his hair. "Let them have their fun, because at least _they_ know when to enjoy themselves. You're so high-strung that you could learn something from them."

They bicker back and forth (well, Shizuka chides and Tsuna whines), while Mizuki offers comments here and there, and Chrome leads the way towards the classroom, and they all meet up with Yamamoto there, who's just come from morning baseball practice. The day looks like it's going to be another boring event. Something that Tsuna will go through in yet another daze before going back home and being forced to repeat all of the lessons in a more painful session underneath Reborn's tyrannical rule.

That is, until Hibari very nearly breaks the door in the middle of first period because of how strongly he shoves it open. Tsuna can hear the wheels squeak loudly and see the wall shudder at the rough treatment. He doesn't come in, only stands at the doorway, but that doesn't mean that his presence isn't keenly felt among the students and Tsuna swears that the room does a collective shudder at the sight of him, steel-grey eyes even colder than usual-- and that's a thing no one ever imagined possible until now. Meanwhile, Noriko stalks across the floor as if she owns the place-- and the students yank their legs and belongings out of her way for this very reason. The Hibari-Noriko pair still probably do, really, maybe in more ways than one.

It's rare to see Hibari and Noriko willingly opening the door to a room full of 'herbivores'. It should be even less likely to happen since _they're already in high school_.

Nevertheless, Tsuna has a bad feeling about this. He's trembling a little, though not for the same reason as the rest of his classmates, who think the devil and his monster cat have come back to haunt the school once again. Rather, he recognizes the rei's body language, having seen it several times before, because even if Hibari's expressions are harder to read than Ryohei's attempts at drawing things, his rei can sometimes telegraph what exactly they're thinking. At this moment, Noriko's tail is whipping about fiercely, meaning she's agitated and angry, and if Noriko is angry, then Hibari is angry.

And if Hibari is angry instead of just annoyed, something big and not-so-nice going on.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi," Hibari says, his voice a low, deep rumble, "your punk is in the nurse's office."

Tsuna doesn't even have to ask-- there's only one person Hibari would call his punk, and that's Gokudera. He looks at Yamamoto and Chrome, and then they all look at Gokudera's empty seat as if he'll suddenly materialize there. And then Tsuna yelps and slaps a hand over his nose, a sudden stinging pain bursting across it. He doesn't feel any cut, and looks down at Shizuka on instinct-- she's been a Bengal cat since the bell rang, and at the perfect level for another cat's paw to reach. Sure enough, Noriko has one foreleg up, claws still out, while Shizuka is crouching, tail straight and poofed out.

"Hurry up," Hibari's soul says, with the voice that always makes him think that it's better suited coming out of an elegant tiger large enough to look anyone in the eye rather than an orange and black cat that's missing half of her tail.

Shizuka looks like she wants to say something, but she knows that this is no time to be talking, and Tsuna holds out a hand to her to make her ascent to his shoulders an easier journey. Meanwhile, the other two rei are joining their humans as well. As Chrome stands, Mizuki uncoils himself from where he'd been sunbathing on her table to wind himself around her arm, and Tomomi stretches from her sprawled daze at the back of the classroom and bumps her shoulder against Yamamoto's leg as he passes her by. Elsewhere in the classroom, Enma is also standing up to join them, Kazumi sitting on his raised fist like the hunting bird to his falconer.

Nobody even bothers to stop them. The entire classroom is silent as their teacher and classmates stare.

Inside the nurse's office, it's not just Gokudera and Akane who are waiting for them. Ryohei is also there, holding Gokudera down on his stomach effortlessly as Kangaryuu beams Sun Flames all over his back, where his wounds seem to be most concentrated. Meanwhile, Yayoi is nudging at Akane with her nose, telling her to get off her human's legs so the kangaroo can heal him properly, and the maned wolf is batting at her and telling her to go away.

Hibari's saying that he'd been patrolling the town before going back to his own campus when he came across Gokudera and Akane inside the middle school's courtyard, already beat up, with a figure running away. That's when he stalked to Nami High, dragged Ryohei by the ear all the way back to Nami Middle and ordered him to heal Gokudera. And _of course_ Hibari is angry that a student had been attacked on school grounds, and he hadn't been able to bite the person responsible to death. But none of that matters to Tsuna at the moment, because he zeroes in on Gokudera's injuries. They look like they've been made by Dying Will Flames, and Tsuna's become very familiar with them to tell the difference between flame burns and _Flame burns_.

Shizuka lands on top of Akane's head as a weasel and starts fussing over her, the way Tsuna wants to fuss over Gokudera. But Gokudera lifts his head and gives him a wide grin, as if his face isn't currently pale from blood loss.

"I'm sorry for not being there to pick you up from home, Tenth-- this guy suddenly jumped me. But you can bet I taught the other guy a lesson not to even try and not mess with the Vongola."

Tsuna's about to tell him that he should worry more for himself, but Shizuka interrupts him, her voice soft yet firm and clear, much like his own in in Hyper Dying Will Mode.

"Hayato, what's that in your hand?"

Gokudera makes a strangled noise in his throat in shock, because rei hardly ever address humans that are not their own, and opens his fist at the rei's prodding. Sitting on his palm is a ring, but not one Tsuna recognizes, and Shizuka scrambles across Akane's snout to get as close to it as she can without calling off the maned wolf rei and accidentally touching Gokudera. It doesn't even have a stone, unlike the Flame rings the mafia have been using lately. It just looks like a signet ring, what seems like the emblem of a family on it.

The insignia is unfamiliar, but maybe Reborn will recognize it. And maybe, just maybe, they can find out what's going on here.

Because Tsuna definitely wants to know why another famiglia would attack one of his friends. He knows Gokudera-- he may be hot-headed and impulsive, prone to starting a fight without either Yamamoto or Tsuna himself there to stop him, but if he says that the man attacked him first, then that's the truth. Tsuna doesn't even need to ask him to confirm it, because he knows his friend would never lie to him because of his honor as his right-hand man, and because he just cant lie to Tsuna. And his wounds cant lie either.

Meaning what happened is an unprovoked attack on him by a mafioso, and Tsuna's not happy about that.

As Shizuka climbs back up to his shoulder, Tsuna pats his friend's bruised hand, before plucking the ring from it. Gokudera looks like he's going to say more, like maybe a complaint or two about how he can still go on because he's Tsuna's goddamned right hand, but Tsuna shakes his head and cuts him off before he even manages to open his mouth. "You should rest now, Gokudera-kun. We'll take it from here. Please heal them the best you can, Big Brother and Yayoi."

"You can count on us, Sawada. They'll be back to their extreme selves in no time!" And Yayoi just nods along with her human, and Tsuna knows that they're going to be okay.

In response to Tsuna's quiet, simmering anger, Shizuka turns into a bird. A large one, with a wide wingspan and a strangely-shaped tail. But despite her immense size and her giant talons closed around his shoulder, he doesn't feel heavy or burdened the way it probably would be like with a real eagle. She's only a reassuring weight, grounding him and making sure that his head is clear and focused, just like the way she's always done whenever he's in Hyper Dying Will Mode. In fact, she always turns into some kind of bird of prey whenever they're in battle, even before he entered that particular mode for the very first time.

"Tsuna-kun." Enma bumps his shoulder against the one that Shizuka's not occupying. "I'll help too. I'll get the others to check for any suspicious activity in town."

"Thanks, Enma-kun. I really appreciate it."

The rest of Tsuna's able Guardians, save for Hibari who's apparently slipped out earlier without anyone noticing, chime in, and Tsuna knows that no stone will be left unturned in their search to find the attacker.

He just wishes he can keep his friends from getting involved in mafia issues, that they can just be regular kids, but it's too late for that-- he understands that now, because they're all so deep in it that all they have to do to make it official is to hold a real, proper Inheritance Ceremony and move everyone to Italy. All he can do now is to protect them the best that he can, to make sure that nothing _really bad_ happens to them.

And that everyone knows this.

It's why he's going to make sure that Gokudera's attacker is found. He's well aware that getting to that point might get really messy because his friends don't know the meaning of moderation, but at the very least he's going to do his best not to make it _awful_.

He may be really, really angry that his friend had just been attacked, but he's not _unreasonable_ or utterly heartless. He's going to give them one chance to pack up and leave and never bother them again.

If they wont, _then_ he'll use fire. He probably really wouldn't want to, but he'll do it to chase them out.

* * *

Reborn identifies the insignia on the ring as the emblem of the Macchia, a famiglia with ambitions bigger and more impossible to reach than Lambo's dreams of beating Reborn, but little power to back it up.

Until recently, it seems. Tsuna's not about to write them off as insignificant the way mobsters have been towards them, namely because they've managed to get the drop on one of _his friends_ , and Gokudera is one of the most skilled fighters he knows. He's not physically powerful, but he's a genius, and has always been able to take command of any situation he's thrown into with his brain and the mini-arsenal contained in his Buckle-- even his plans have plans, and he has the skill and experience to back them up. He helped defeat one of the _Vindice_ , for crying out loud. So it shouldn't be possible for a family with "little power" to beat him.

Therefore, this mafia family is one that shouldn't be taken lightly.

Not that his friends need to be told about not underestimating people. In fact, they need to be reminded that _maiming really isn't something Tsuna condones, and bite them only a little bit Hibari-san, please?_

Meanwhile, Reborn's gone and decided that this would be a great way to make Tsuna learn diplomacy-- or a bunch of intimidation tactics, if diplomacy fails him. The less said about Reborn's methods of teaching (or rather, throwing him directly into the freaking fire), the better, especially when it involves explosions galore, and lots, and _lots_ of pain.

He just hopes Enma's not having the same problem with the Simon family. He's definitely not having an issue with Reborn though, since he doesn't have a home tutor. Lucky him.

But even with two different groups on alert, several days still pass, and everything is all quiet on the enemy-mafia-in-Namimori front. As far as they can tell anyway.

"Are they still here? It's too quiet-- it doesn't feel like they're still here," Tsuna says as he throws himself onto his bed. He's supposed to be relaxing and enjoying himself because it's a rare quiet day, what with Reborn out somewhere, and Mom and Bianchi shopping with the kids, but he cant.

"It's called 'the calm before the storm'." And he can almost picture Shizuka rolling her eyes at him for being 'silly'. "If it's too quiet, that means something is about to happen. And maybe something big, in this case."

Tsuna groans and buries his face in his hands. "Oh no. If you're saying that, how big can it get?"

That earns him a swat to the ankle, which kind of stings, given that it's done with a big paw. She's probably some kind of big cat now. "Everything's always big when the mafia is involved. You should know that by now."

"And that's honestly one of the reasons why I really don't like it."

"Do _not_ think about backing out now." Her voice has a hint of a growl in it, and he just _cowers_.

"I'm not! Honest! I'm j-just… letting off some steam," he replied, maybe a little lamely. Okay, maybe a _lot_ lamely.

"You've been letting off steam about the Macchia for days. Stop complaining and do something _more_."

The bed creaks and dips as she climbs up beside him-- and yep, that's definitely a big cat in bed with him. A _really_ big cat. A _lioness_ , as he finds out when she swings a huge, yellow-gold foreleg around his shoulders, her paw next to his face. He can practically see the slits on it, where the claws are supposed to come out. But instead of clawing him to bits the way his runaway imagination would have it, she simply pulls him closer, until he's flush against her belly, and he cant help but turn and press his face into her fur. She's just so warm.

"We're not meant for sitting around and being scared of when the next attack is going to be. We're meant to be sitting in a chair with our heads held high and asking our attackers 'what took you so long'? We take our prey at the moment they're least expecting us, and when we do, we don't do a sloppy job of it. We're not foolhardy enough to go looking for a fight like Noriko and her boy, but we're not jumpy little ones either, always looking over our shoulders only to fall apart when something goes wrong. People only think that we're dame because you keep insisting that you're scared of everything."

It's like she's saying that they're _strong_ , but Tsuna certainly doesn't feel that way. He's never felt like a big tough man in his entire life, and he doubts that a rival mafia family and a pep talk from his rei will suddenly make him into the boss everybody wants him to be. He's honestly about to tell her this… but doesn't find the right words to voice this opinion with.

So instead, he just says, "Can you turn into something smaller that wont break the bed?"

It's probably his tailbone that ends up breaking though, since she gives a great big snort that ruffles his hair, and roughly shoves him off the bed. _Hard_. He ends up hitting the floor hard too, and he's definitely going to be feeling that tomorrow.

But before he can open his mouth to whine at her, he's interrupted by a loud thundering up the stairs that's definitely not Lambo's usual noise, before his bedroom door is thrown wide open by none other than a fuming Gokudera and Akane, followed closely by Yamamoto and Tomomi.

It's Yamamoto and Tomomi that tell him this is _not_ a social visit, because their eyes are hard, even if Yamamoto is smiling, and their body language seems relaxed to a casual observer.

"Tenth! The bastards went after Turf Top this time!"

The words are barely out of Gokudera's mouth when Tsuna shoots up from the floor and Shizuka turns into a little grey bird with a wicked beak that looks a little like Aoba's own rei, fluttering up to his shoulder and grabbing hold of his shirt with a deceptively firm grip.

"Is he all right?" He doesn't know if it's he who asks the question, or Shizuka, or both of them at the same time, but _does it really matter?_ At this moment, Ryohei's health is the most important thing in the world.

"Aoba took a look at him, says he doesn't find anything that's really bad, so that's a good thing, ahaha. Kaoru and the other Simon guys got him to the hospital, so we came to get you." It's Yamamoto who speaks this time, and while Gokudera throws him a dirty look for replying instead of him, he keeps quiet and just nods along where Tsuna can visibly see him.

Shizuka bats at Tsuna's ear with a small wing. "Let's go," she whispers in his ear, and automatically, he's moving. Gokudera and Akane, and Yamamoto and Tomomi immediately step aside to let them pass.

As they move quickly through the streets towards the hospital, Tsuna comes to the realization that Shizuka's right-- they're really not meant to sit around and be afraid of the next attack. Doing that means letting someone they care about get hurt, and _that's not something Tsuna likes_.

The scene at Ryohei's hospital room reminds him awfully of the time that he'd gotten attacked by Mukuro's gang and gotten his teeth yanked out. Well, it's not _quite_ like it, because at least this time he's not missing any part of his body (thank all the gods), even if he's messed up and will be sporting bruises for a while. But he's still as cheerful and upbeat as that time, telling them not to worry, and he'll be back to his old self in no time.

But there are also differences. For one, Enma and Aoba are also here, having brought him here in the first place-- even if Aoba claims that he wants to make sure that Ryohei is going to get better quickly because no one else will be his rival. For another, Yayoi is lying on another bed that's been pushed up next to Ryohei's, so he can keep in physical contact with her at all times. Lastly, there's a worry in Ryohei's eyes that Tsuna cant understand, but he can tell that it's getting more intense with every stroke Ryohei makes up and down Yayoi's back.

It's Yayoi who worries him more, because she's quiet, not bleating at them for something or other, like how some-rei should get over there and keep her warm (because she's an utter cuddlemonster and the other rei happily indulge her, even Akane at times). She's shoved her face against Ryohei's armpit, and not acting like herself, save for the occasional restless twitch of her limbs.

Tsuna doesn't need Hyper Intuition to know that there's something wrong-- even if it _is_ pretty handy and tells him that their encounter with the Macchia probably has more to do with Yayoi than Ryohei at this point.

Unfortunately, when he asks Ryohei about it, he gets a vague answer-- but he cant blame it on his friend because even to him the entire attack seems really off. They were both targeted, and their attacker used a strange-looking knife coated with Storm Flames. He didn't seem very good with it though, and kept slashing around randomly, and the only time he actually got a hit on Ryohei was when he threw other Storm-coated things at him, like rocks.

However, his mind does snag on one detail-- the man that attacked his Sun Guardians didn't have a rei. He asks if maybe it's just too small and is in his clothing or something like that, but Ryohei tells him that Yayoi didn't sense his rei around at all.

And now there's an entirely new layer to this entire thing, and Tsuna doesn't know what to think, except for be extremely terrified because he remembers _the Byakuran of the future_.

People without their rei are worse than people with them, because they always look like they're already dead and their bodies just haven't noticed yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Macchia: "spot", "stain" or "smudge" in Italian. I was craving coffee when I decided on that name.
> 
> Forms Shizuka's taken on in this chapter:
> 
> 1\. Goldcrest (at the beginning of the chapter, but goes unmentioned)  
> 2\. Mongoose  
> 3\. Bengal cat  
> 4\. Weasel  
> 5\. Wedge-tailed eagle  
> 6\. Asiatic lioness  
> 7\. Chinese grey shrike
> 
> Food for thought: The wedge-tailed eagle usually measures about 3 feet in height (or body length), with a wingspan that can reach up to 7 feet. Females are larger than males in the way raptors usually are. Imagine _that_ behemoth on Tsuna's shoulder.


	3. Chapter 3

They're still in Ryohei's hospital room when Adelheid and Julie enter, followed closely by Chrome, and Tsuna immediately knows that there's been another attack.

He doesn't need to see the expression on Chrome's face to realize that, but it does serve as confirmation. She's clutching her bag to her chest while Mizuki is curled in his usual position around her neck. Tsuna cant see any kind of injury on her though, and she's not limping or walking strangely at all. But that doesn't keep her from looking like she'd just been attacked, pale face and wide eyes and all.

If Chrome's not injured but looks awful anyway, then it's something to do with Mukuro instead-- Shizuka's the one who comes to _that_ conclusion only a second before he himself does. He knows she's thinking of this because of their link, and… well, if they're both thinking it, then it should be right.

Nevertheless, he still has to ask her, "Are you okay?"

"Adel and I found the little cutie heading towards your house," Julie says instead. "So we brought her here, since we knew you were coming to-- hiiiieee!"

Whatever Julie was going to say about Tsuna coming here is broken off, surprisingly _not_ by an attack from Adelheid (which doesn't come because it's just too _fast_ ), but by a swift move from Mizuki who clearly has no problems using the advantages his bush viper body gives him. Even Tsuna has trouble following him when he decides to move very quickly. He throws himself forward just a little bit, going no farther than a few inches away from Chrome's shoulder, _with his mouth open_ at Julie. All in the fraction of a second, making his drawing back to his former position around Chrome's neck pretty slow in comparison.

It's another reason why Chrome and Mizuki can be pretty damn scary, because Mizuki has no problems addressing humans directly and scaring the ever-living daylights out of them if he's annoyed enough. He doesn't actually touch Julie which is a huge relief, because rei never touch anyone aside from their own human, plus his fangs weren't out when he did it, but if a rei lashes out at someone like that, it's hard _not_ to have a heart attack even if you're just a spectator. What makes it even worse is that he's a snake that looks like _that_ , and Shizuka would like to see someone not shit their metaphorical pants whenever Mizuki starts acting more snake-like than rei-like. And she really, _really_ likes this side of their Mist Guardians-- Tsuna can tell by the amusement in their link.

To be honest, Tsuna does think it's creepy whenever Julie flirts with girls, especially Chrome, so he cant completely blame Mizuki from lashing out.

Meanwhile, Chrome doesn't even acknowledge what Mizuki's just done (or she just doesn't care) and just makes this weird motion with her head, tilting it up first, before hesitating and bringing it down at an angle, then shaking it minutely from side to side-- and obviously that means it's both a yes and a no, and she just cant decide which one she should answer with. She hardly does it, and it's really a weird gesture if someone doesn't know her too well, but it's honestly better than getting no answer at all. So Tsuna saves her the effort of answering further by standing up to approach her.

Thankfully, Mizuki doesn't think he's going to be trying any funny business too, so he leaves Tsuna alone and goes back to lying about like a thick necklace around Chrome's neck.

"What's going on with Mukuro and Satsuki?" he asks, and doesn't miss how the entire room save for Chrome and himself snaps to attention.

"I don't know. I just felt something wrong happen, like the way I feel when Mizuki suddenly gets too far away from me."

Obviously there's something else there, so he has to prompt her to continue. "But…?"

"He was around my neck the whole time, and we felt Mukuro-sama and Satsuki-sama get angry about the same time it happened," she continues as Mizuki raises his head to lick at her cheek.

Tsuna knows well the feeling of suddenly being yanked away from Shizuka and had their bond stretched to a distance that was uncomfortable-- it's happened a lot of times to them. Like when the future Hibari shut him in the needle sphere and forced him to meet the other Vongola bosses in the Ring. Like when Mukuro had thrown him all the way across the Kokuyo Land theater and Shizuka was left behind on the other side of the room because she had been busy fighting Satsuki on the floor. Like when he and Yamamoto had tumbled from the roof top when Yamamoto tried to kill himself, and Shizuka and Tomomi were left behind. Like when he was shot for the first time by Reborn, and she'd been taken by surprise by his run. And each time, it felt like having a rope wrapped around (and _inside_ ) his chest he had never been aware of before being suddenly and violently pulled tight, knocking the wind out of him and leaving him momentarily disoriented.

It's not just him-- it's common knowledge, and everyone can experience it if they get into some kind of situation, but it's not really a good feeling. It should explain why Mizuki is so grouchy right now, aside from… well, Julie.

"We should go check on them," he says firmly, and almost immediately, Gokudera jumps up from one of the other chairs in the room, ready to follow him, Yamamoto standing up in a slightly more relaxed fashion as both of their rei stretch out and shake themselves. "We'll come back later. Get well soon, okay Big Brother?"

"I'll be extreme in no time, Sawada! Don't worry about me!"

Meanwhile, Shizuka says bye to Yayoi by launching herself into the air and landing squarely on Yayoi's back, bouncing up and down a couple of times-- not that she weighs very much in her current form. "You had better be fine and talking when we get back, all right?"

Tsuna groans in embarrassment at her, and that's her cue to roll her little eyes at him and flutter back onto his shoulder. Yamamoto laughs. Chrome gives a small smile. Gokudera looks like he wants to say something, but huffs and keeps quiet instead. Enma tells him that he and his group will stick around to keep Ryohei company.

Sometimes there's nothing more awful than your rei being embarrassing at someone else.

* * *

"Huuuuh? What does the Vongola want here, byon? And you've brought Miss Ugly too. _Gross._ " Except when there can be something even worse, and that's the Kokuyo gang.

"We heard about Mukuro… Can we come in?" By the tug at his hair, Tsuna can tell that _asking nicely_ isn't the way to go when faced with a grumpy Ken who's blocking the door to the theater.

"Go back home, Vongola. Mukuro-sama's not going to bother talking with the likes of you, byon." Ken sticks his tongue out at him, which makes Gokudera and Akane make loud noises of outrage at the "blatant disrespect!!", which in turn makes Yamamoto and Tomomi latch onto them to hold them back. But Shizuka just _snorts_ from her perch near Tsuna's ear (how does she do that with a bird's beak anyway?), and he can feel the waves of "I am so unimpressed with you, little boy" coming from her.

"We're not asking permission, Ken." And then she just goes and does something unbelievable that makes Tsuna want to weep right then and there.

She drops to the old wooden floor as a wolf, the same kind of wolf that Dino's Ludovica is, except she's more of a dark grey with a lighter shade at the muzzle, belly and paws, instead of a silver that's streaked with brown and a little bit of black like Vica-san. And after she's done shaking herself, she walks right into the theater, forcing Ken to scramble back just so he wont touch her. His rei tries to stop her by turning into a bear, but Akane and Tomomi are suddenly right there, just _daring_ Shiori to lay a hand on them with their expressions and flanking Shizuka the way their humans would flank Tsuna.

Tsuna looks to his Guardians for _some kind of help_ , but like him, they've got nothing to say. Or at least Gokudera doesn't and shrugs helplessly at how much initiative their rei are taking, while Yamamoto takes it in stride and slaps both of them on the back. Chrome just nods encouragingly as Mizuki launches himself from her neck and lands on the floor with a soft thump, before slithering away behind the other rei.

And of course, Shizuka being Shizuka, she barrels through the room, straight for Satsuki, and Tsuna has to hurry inside and close the distance between them so he wont feel that awful pulling sensation in his chest. Mukuro and his gang, as expected, have their weapons out, and Mukuro honestly looks like he might skewer Shizuka with his trident, but Tsuna's rei only has eyes for the little red fox as she quickly closes the gap between them and nearly misses the other rei with her momentum. It's a good thing she doesn't trip and slam into Mukuro who's right behind his rei-- Tsuna's heart might not have been able to take it.

"Satsuki, Satsuki, are you okay?" Shizuka doesn't just touch her nose with Satsuki's in the regular rei greeting-- she practically throws her bulk on top of the fox, making them look like a ball of grey and silver with a small spot of red and dark brown. And it's really awkward, since wolves are so much bigger than foxes, even if Satsuki is just a little bigger than an actual fox. "Are you all right? Are you hurt in any way?"

When Satsuki shoves herself deeper into the pile of big wolf fur like a burrowing mouse, Tsuna feels a little warm in his chest, gut and face, and he guesses that it's because he can feel some of the things Shizuka feels-- in this case, Satsuki's warmth-- because of their soul-deep bond.

"Oh, I'm _fine_ , you gigantic worrywart," comes Satsuki's voice, just a bit muffled, but definitely still carrying the same tone she and Mukuro have when talking normally. They're not too badly harmed then, and despite his fears about being in Kokuyo territory, Tsuna is very relieved. Meanwhile, Akane and Tomomi have joined the fur pile with great enthusiasm, with Mizuki curling up on the floor just inches away from them, and Tsuna can practically hear Gokudera make a loud noise in protest over his rei's actions.

"So you can get off of her any time," Mukuro adds, one hand on his hip and the other still gripping his trident. He looks amused… but it's Mukuro. He always looks amused, even when he's about to stab a lot of holes into someone's guts or stick his fingers in his own eyeball.

Shizuka just _huffs_ at Mukuro like he's offended her, and Tsuna wants to curl up into a ball and die, because kami-sama, why doesn't she share Tsuna's fear of him. "Who asked you?"

Tsuna really wants to grab onto Shizuka's fur, pull her out of the pile and apologize a whole lot, but the presence of the other rei prevents him from doing just that because there's no way he can get a hold of her without accidentally coming into contact with at least one of the other three. So instead, he goes straight into the second step of his 'plan' and _apologizes_.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I just wanted to know if you were all right since Chrome said you were in trouble... A-and things have been happening lately, so uh…?" Tsuna trails off, not sure exactly how to continue, but if Reborn were here, he would have kicked Tsuna upside the head with a warning to stop stuttering because it's unbecoming of a mafia boss. All while holding him at gunpoint.

As if he just cant take even _one_ break in this already stressful trip, he suddenly finds himself facedown on the floor, pain throbbing in his brain that starts from the back of his head. It takes him a few seconds to notice that there's still some kind of pressure on his head, some kind of weight.

"Ciaossu."

Oh gods, _no_. Tsuna wants to cry.

"Hey, kid!"

"I don't recall inviting you here, Arcobaleno."

"Boss, are you all right?"

Sometimes he feels like the universe just thinks he's its personal buttmonkey, and makes crazy things happen around him just for the sake of seeing him cry and dance around. He can only be glad that Reborn doesn't lecture him or put a gun to his head, but instead gets off his head to perch on Mukuro's couch like he's holding court or something, and now Tsuna can let Gokudera help him back up onto his feet, even if Mukuro looks so pissed that his couch has just been invaded and he cant sit on it while Reborn's still around no matter how much he wants to shoo Tsuna's tutor away. Idly, Tsuna wonders if he's going to go as far as disinfecting his furniture later, when they've gone on their way.

Meanwhile, the rei have untangled themselves and moved away from the couch to avoid Reborn, but they still stick to each other like glue, Shizuka brushing shoulders with Akane and Tomomi as they sit down, Satsuki curled up in between Shizuka's front paws and Mizuki in a coil on top of the fox. They're a sight, Tsuna has to admit, even if they're looking at Reborn and Leon the way they look at the rei of the other Arcobaleno-- with caution, because they've always found Leon and the others to be creepy. Tsuna cant blame them, because he thinks the Arcobaleno rei are pretty weird and creepy too, because they don't talk _at all_ , and they can do things that other rei cant, like Leon and his changing into non-animal forms and making things inside himself, and Skull's octopus being used in battle.

"So, Mukuro," and uh-oh, Tsuna can practically tell that Reborn's about to shove them into a big, uncomfortable conversation, "what's with the Macchia attack?"

Mukuro hmphs. _Hmphs_ , just like that, like a character of high class in a drama, and Tsuna can practically imagine him tossing his hair over his shoulder and giving a servant A Look. "If you must know, that damned mafioso came in here to attack us unprovoked."

"You sure about that?"

Tsuna doesn't know what's worse-- that Reborn's deliberately baiting Mukuro, or that they're doing this in Mukuro's territory, surrounded by the Kokuyo gang. Chikusa and M.M. may not be here, but Ken and Fran are.

"I saw it with my own eyes." His rei buzzing about around his head as a giant bee, Fran throws up a hand-- or at least he looks like he is, because the sleeves on his Kokuyo jacket are so long that they just flop around whenever he moves his arms. Tsuna notices that Mukuro is motioning at him to shut up, but Fran is just barreling on. "Someone with a scalpel on Storm Fire kept trying to poke holes into Master, but he kept missing. He also almost hit Foxy but missed too. Then he got angry and said something about sepera-thio-neh."

"Seperazione, little one," Mukuro says, his Italian accent flawless and his tone flippant enough, but Tsuna thinks that his expression has hardened just a little bit. And surprisingly, _Reborn_ is looking like that too.

"Ah, that. I don't know what that means. It's Italian."

"Separation." There it is again. The shared expression on both their faces. It's just a word, isn't it? So why are Reborn and Mukuro looking so… dark when every time it comes out? Alook at his other friends tells Tsuna that they're either as confused as he is, or they're not noticing something out of the ordinary.

"Ah, okay."

"Can you confirm that he did say 'separation', Mukuro?" Reborn asks him, definitely ignoring everyone in the room now, and there's something in his tone that makes a shiver go down Tsuna's spine.

At that, Mukuro sighs, and lowers his trident. "Yes, yes, I can, you damned Arcobaleno. And I can also tell you that he did really think that his knife could do the job too because he was deliberately aiming between myself and my rei-- and no, we were not affected by his attacks in the least. Now, would you and Vongola pack up and leave?"

He's lying, Tsuna thinks. Not completely, because there's some truth in it, but… No, he's definitely lying about not being affected, otherwise Chrome wouldn't have felt a thing.

"Okay, what the hell is this separation thing you people keep talking about?" Gokudera asks loudly, and Mukuro bursts out _laughing_.

"Oh this is rich-- you, the Smoking Bomb, don't know what Separation is?" Mukuro gives a few more of his creepy 'kufufufu' giggles and wipes at his eyes like he's tearing up out of laughter. "How in the world did you survive several years in the mafia without knowing that one thing?"

Gokudera moves to attack him, but Tsuna grabs hold of his arm and starts whispering in his ear about how they're here to make sure that Mukuro is safe, not hurt him even more. His friend looks like he's going to complain, but Tsuna shakes his arm, and then his head. It's far more effective than a heartfelt ' _please_ ' sometimes, because Gokudera almost melts and glares at Mukuro sulkily.

"I've heard enough here. Tsuna, we're leaving." And with that, Reborn jumps from the couch onto his shoulder, and luckily Tsuna doesn't twitch at that because he's too used to being an Arcobaleno's personal ride. "Let's get back to Ryohei's room-- and call the Simon there too, and Hibari, if you can find him."

"Eh? Why?"

"Because I think it's time you learn about something very important, and I'd rather have all of you in one spot so I don't have to repeat myself. Mukuro, I'm sure you don't need to be a part of this lecture?"

Mukuro makes a dismissive noise in his throat. "I've known about it for a long time, Arcobaleno. Now get out of here."

* * *

"So. Separation," Reborn says once they're all in Ryohei's hospital room, the word still as ominous as when he said it earlier. He's sitting on a high stool across the room from Ryohei, while everyone else is opposite him, like a teacher and his students in a makeshift classroom. Mukuro's not here of course, and neither is Hibari, but Tsuna is pretty sure he's right outside and listening, because the window is open (even if he's probably getting an eyeful of Shitt P., who's stuck herself there, hanging upside down and all)-- he doesn't even doubt that Hibari's threatened all the staff to stay away from this room for the rest of the day. Lambo is _definitely_ not here, because he's way too young to listen to this kind of thing.

"I extremely don't understand," Ryohei says, but Tsuna tugs at his sleeve to keep him quiet. Meanwhile, Enma is doing the same thing to Aoba, who looks like he's about to interrupt too.

Reborn shoots both of them a tiny look of approval before going on. "It's not surprising that you don't know what it is-- many people are better off not knowing about it. However, because you're in the mafia, this is something you all need to know, especially since you're bosses and Guardians and not knowing will get you killed one day.

"Separation is exactly what it sounds like-- splitting something apart. In this case, you and your rei."

And Tsuna feels like he's going to be sick, because now they have a word for it. That thing with Byakuran and his Funeral Wreaths and _Yuni_ in the future, and he has to sit down on the bed beside Ryohei because he's pretty sure that he might not be able to keep standing while Reborn goes on.

"There are several ways to go about this, but the two most common are cutting the bond between human and rei, and putting a lot of distance between the two so that it stretches instead. Cutting, too, is exactly what it is, because you take a specially-made blade and cut at the empty space between the two. The bond cant be seen or touched, but there are blades that are known to be able to cut it-- not that many such weapons exist, save for ceremonial daggers that tribes protect fiercely, and I'm assuming the knives that the Macchia used today against Ryohei and Mukuro." Reborn pauses, probably letting them try and absorb this kind of information. Tsuna doesn't care for his reasoning because all he does is bury his shaking hands into Shizuka's mane, who's sitting between his legs, and in turn she rests her head on his knee. "Meanwhile, stretching is considered less traumatic, which is why some cultures use this method for their coming-of-age rituals. If you check some of the lesser known history books, you'll find essays on some of them. Stretching is also a less drastic alternative, because some pairs report that even with the ritual successfully completed, they can still feel each other, like the bond is still there somehow. But those who cut their bond in some way report differently, that they cant feel each other at all except for physical contact just like when one person touches another.

"Either way, the person and their rei will be considered two beings, and can be in completely different places at any time without feeling the pull that intact pairings have. _However_ , Separation, no matter the method, is considered very traumatic. As you can tell, putting even the slightest bit of strain on the bond causes you physical and mental pain, like when you go too far from each other. Because of this, Separation is dangerous."

And here's where Reborn's expression changes. It's not very noticeable, and regular people might not be able to realize this, but Tsuna's lived with him for a while, and he has some experience in reading Reborn's face. His eyes are narrowed just a little bit, and Tsuna knows that he's not pleased-- whatever he's going to say next is _not_ good.

"People with settled rei can survive Separation, but only those who are very lucky or very strong, and it's more common for a pair to die during the attempt-- in fact, one of the most commonly used ways to survive Separation among mafioso is through the use of Dying Will Flames because it's been proven that they do help. But even with that in mind, if one doesn't have strong enough Flames, they might not survive at all. 

"If someone survives but their rei dies, then they're no better than empty shells, and are commonly used as slaves-- you can order them to do anything, and they'll obey without question. They don't live for very long though, and most don't last even a year. Meanwhile, the survival rate of those with unsettled rei is zero percent. Children will _never_ come out of any kind of separation alive because their bodies and minds cant take the trauma."

The room explodes with pained noises, because they cant hold it in anymore, Tsuna especially. He remembers Bluebell of the future, because she was _so young_ then, and she doesn't look like her rei had settled in that era before he disappeared or died or something. The rei of the Bluebell of the present sure hasn't settled yet, because he remembers seeing him when they visited Yuni's rented villa. And then there's _Yuni_ herself, because she looked about his age, maybe even a little younger-- had she been settled before Byakuran destroyed her rei? How in the world did they _survive_ what happened to them? What did Byakuran do to them?

Tsuna exchanges a look with each of his Guardians, and he knows instinctively that they're thinking the very same thing. Yayoi is making distressed noises in her throat and trying to push her face deeper into the pillow while Ryohei rubs circles not only on her back but also Tsuna's, and he's so glad for that show of comfort, he really is. Gokudera has pressed his leg against Tsuna's while Yamamoto has his shoulder against Gokudera's, while keeping his hand on Chrome's own shoulder, who is clutching Mizuki to her chest and looking like she's doing her best not to cry as her rei tries to comfort her by licking at her cheek. Meanwhile, the other rei are at their feet, curled up in each other and all of them, even the humans, must look like a scene to anybody else-- a bunch of kids who cant do more except give each other comfort.

The Simon aren't doing so well either; Kaoru over in his corner looks like he wants to run away, Rauji keeps shifting his weight and gaze to everyone and anyone, Adelheid has an arm around Enma's shoulders, whispering something in his ear because he just looks _devastated_ , Kazumi shivering on his shoulder, and someone could have carved the others out of stone with the way they're looking. Shitt P. has even gotten out of the window, sitting on the sill instead with her lips in an unhappy turn, holding her ermine rei with both hands like he'd die if she lets him go.

Tsuna feels for every single one of them, because they're all in the mafia, and in the mafia, anything can go wrong, even with your own rei. He wishes that he can take all of them out of it, to walk away from the whole thing and never look back, but it's too aware that it's too late for them now. He cant even imagine how horrible Separating would be, when he and Shizuka cant be on opposite ends of the gym without feeling awful.

Reborn clears his throat once, and everyone falls silent again, even if they're really reluctant to. 

"Even in the mafia you'll find some people who did it for personal protection, but it's still considered an uncommon practice. As the bond between human and rei is still considered sacred in the underworld, not a lot of people in organized crime are willing to do that to someone else." 'Except if they're downright evil or insane,' goes unsaid, but is very heavily implied. "I don't doubt that the Estraneo did experiments like that before their downfall, but they never did anything of that sort out in the open."

"Not like the Macchia, you mean," Tsuna says hoarsely, and he's surprised that he can even _speak_ at this point.

"Definitely not like the Macchia, very good Tsuna." Reborn looks proud of him for coming to that conclusion, but he also still looks angry-- but Tsuna knows that it's not directed at him. "No doubt that if any famiglia were brave or stupid enough to create weapons solely for Separation, or even attempted to Separate a pair in a skirmish, the entirety of the mafia would descend on them and kill them all.

"Which is what might happen very soon. They attacked three Guardians of Vongola Decimo, the last two times with the clear intent of Separating human and rei. Nono wont stand for this once I report to him-- and I will, this is a matter that concerns _everyone_ \-- and neither should you, Tsuna."

Tsuna shakes his head weakly, before remembering that Reborn wont take that as a proper answer and takes a deep breath to steady himself-- and smiles up at Gokudera, who's grabbed his shoulder in a show of support-- before he speaks. "I don't plan to. I don't like what they're doing less than anyone in this room. Most of us are already settled but… I don't want them going after Lambo just because he's my Lightning Guardian, or I-Pin, Kyoko, Haru, or _Mom_ because they're close to me. Not to mention other people, even if they've got nothing to do with the mafia."

"I cant let it go either," Enma adds, his voice barely above the mumble he introduced himself with during his first day at Namimori, but in the quiet hospital room, it manages to carry. "Vongola is Simon's friend-- _Tsuna-kun_ and the others are our friends, and like them, we cant let this go on."

Everyone else starts talking once their leaders have said their piece, Aoba and Ryohei yelling at the same time, stopping and then glaring at each other, while Yamamoto gives Tsuna the thumbs up and pats Chrome on the shoulder as she smiles just a little at all of them. Gokudera sings his boss a ton of praises, and Shitt P. gives Enma a _huge_ , really awkward hug that makes Tsuna cringe because she's wearing one of her steel… uh, tops right now.

It feels lighter in the room already, and Tsuna's glad for it. Even if he's sure that everyone is thinking about the upcoming battles-- and it's inevitable now, since they've all but declared war-- and are already starting to prepare for it mentally, he knows all too well that this kind of atmosphere is a good thing. Everyone is back to normal, being their old crazy selves again, and there's only a little trace of the scared, pained mood of earlier. Separation is a scary thing, so he doesn't want his friends to keep thinking about it.

For several seconds that feel like an hour, Reborn says nothing and just peers at them from under the brim of his fedora, and Tsuna looks at him back because he's not about to back down from this decision. Eventually, he smiles that same smile he had when Tsuna declared that he was going to teach Reborn a lesson because he was a failure of a tutor, having given up on himself all the way back during the Representative Battles. _That_ look is something Tsuna still has a problem reading, since it's only the second time he's seen it.

"I'll be sending word to Nono, then."

* * *

As always, going back to school during something big and mafia-related feels… a bit anti-climactic. It's nice to be doing something normal in between all the action, Tsuna's not going to kid himself over that even if he doesn't really like school, but there's also still this feeling that he should be _somewhere else_ , not in school and learning things that he'll never remember until Reborn drills them into his skull.

He knows that Shizuka feels this way too because she's restless, and he doesn't need to be looking at her in order to know it. It's just there, so strong that it might as well be his own. Or is she feeling this way because _he's_ feeling this way?

It's weird. Weird and new. She hasn't even changed since the thing with Ken and Shiori yesterday, maybe because she's too wired to change. He doesn't blame her-- he had nightmares last night because of the whole introduction to Separation.

The teacher who has their class after lunch has a habit of coming a few minutes late, so it's not new for his classmates to be walking about, playing around or just talking to each other from across the room in raised voices. Unfortunately, it's also not new for the bullies to come after him at this time.

All of them, a group of three who are all in the basketball club (except are just benchwarmers, from what Kurokawa says about them), start yelling his name and swaggering towards his desk, and he's pretty sure they're going to mess him up. Especially now when Gokudera's in the restroom, having a last minute smoke, Yamamoto's out somewhere squeezing in a few more practice swings with Kaoru before the teacher comes, and Chrome's decided to skip class to stay with Mukuro for the day. Enma jumps up to try and help him, but he gets shoved back onto his seat by one of the guys, and Tsuna closes his eyes to steel himself for…

A snapping of jaws, _big_ jaws, teenagers yelling and obviously scrambling away, and a growl with a pissed-off voice that can come from only _one_ person.

Or rei, in this matter.

"Back off. We're not in the mood for this today."

Tsuna peeks open one eye and almost chokes on his spit when he sees Shizuka, in all her grey wolf glory bristling at the bullies and their rei. They're settled all except for one, but none of them are even close to being as large as a wolf is-- heck, Tsuna knows that when stretched out, she's longer than he is tall, so what chance does a monkey (and Kurokawa loves being justified when calling their schoolmates monkeys), a dog, and a rei that's currently a domestic goat have of being more intimidating than a predator people only see on animal documentaries?

Tsuna's seen a few wolf rei around, including Ludovica, because of the mafia. Mafioso tend to steer clear of the really intimidating rei like big cats, wolves, alligators and snakes because it's usually a sure way of telling who are the really dangerous ones, but these guys? These guys don't seem to notice.

"Hey, hey, what are you trying to pull? You're just a gigantic dog, you Dame-Rei," one of the guys says. Scratch that, they don't even know that she's a wolf, probably because they've never seen one before, either on TV or in pictures. His rei, the monkey, reaches over and tugs so sharply at Shizuka's ear that it feels like someone's doing the same to Tsuna.

Instantly, Tsuna knows that it's a ridiculously bad move, because Shizuka is worked up, and it's not a good idea for some random rei to touch her when she's worked up. Especially in that kind of way.

Shizuka yanks her head back sharply, and because the monkey is still holding onto her, she gets dragged away from her human and lands on her ass on the floor when the force of the swing makes her lose her grip. Almost immediately, Kazumi is on the monkey, wings and tail flared and despite her much smaller size, she keeps the monkey down on the floor with one foot on her face-- and it has the added effect of keeping her human out of the fight too, because no one would dare to move if their rei is being threatened by another. No regular person, at least.

Meanwhile, Shizuka is busy menacing the other two, snapping at them and even from this angle, Tsuna can see that she has _huge_ teeth. The bullies are shrinking back bit by bit, and he honestly doesn't blame them, because even if she's his rei, Tsuna doesn't want to be on the business end of those teeth. And he really doesn't want their classmates and their to actually feel those teeth too, so he lunges for Shizuka, hands outstretched to grab her fur, and--

"Sawada! Kozato!"

Oh, crap. Their teacher's here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shizuka's forms this chapter:
> 
> 1\. Chinese grey shrike (carryover from last chapter)  
> 2\. Grey wolf
> 
> Newly introduced daemons:  
> Ken: Shiori, unsettled  
> Fran: Morgane, unsettled  
> Shitt P: Stefano, ermine aka stoat in its winter coat
> 
> Too lazy to make a huge dump of all the Simon and Kokuyo daemons at the moment, but one day they'll all be introduced.


End file.
